Unbought and Unbossed: Why former Representative Shirley Chisholm (D-NY) deserves a permanent home in the United States Capitol
On this day, forty-six years ago, U.S. Representative Shirley Chisholm made history when she announced her intention to run for President of the United States. In her historic speech, Representative Chisholm declared that she was not the Black candidate, the candidate of the women’s movement, or the candidate of any political bosses, fat cats, or special interests, but rather, a candidate of the People. These powerful words embodied and described Chisholm’s extraordinary life, career, dedication, and contributions to our nation.
My bill, H.R.4856, would direct the Joint Committee on the Library to obtain a statue of Representative Shirley Chisholm for permanent placement in the United States Capitol.
Born Shirley Anita St. Hill on September 30th, 1924, Shirley Chisholm was the first daughter of Guyanese and Bajan immigrants who had settled in Brooklyn, New York. After graduating from Brooklyn College in 1946, Chisholm began her exemplary career as a teacher. Then, she earned a Master’s of Arts Degree in Elementary Education from Columbia University. In addition to a successful career in education and administration, Representative Chisholm was a founding member of the Bedford Stuyvesant Political League. Not surprisingly, she became a dynamic and powerful political leader in Brooklyn.
Chisholm began her career in politics when she became a New York State Assembly member from 1965–1968. In 1968, Chisholm’s love for and dedication to Brooklyn carried her all the way to Washington, D.C., when she became the first Black woman to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing New York’s 12th Congressional District (central Brooklyn), the same area I proudly represent today.
In Congress, Chisholm served on the Education and Labor Committee (currently the Committee Education and The Workforce) and became the first black woman to serve on the powerful House Rules Committee. Moreover, she became a founding member of the venerable Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) — the caucus’ lone female founder.
The CBC, long considered the conscience of the Congress, became one of the most influential forces in U. S. Congressional history. The CBC remains so today. The CBC represents the interests of African Americans, black immigrants, and other marginalized populations, who Chisholm served and championed throughout her tenure in Congress. Nearly 47 years later, the CBC continues to be on the front lines, promoting Chisholm’s values — defending the vulnerable and speaking for the voiceless.
In 1971 Chisholm co-founded the National Women’s Political Caucus (NWPC) to increase the number of women in all aspects of public life as elected and appointed officials, judges in state and federal courts, and delegates to national political conventions. At the time of the NWPC’s conception, women numbered just 363, or 4.7 percent of state legislators. Today, they number 1,738 state legislators, or 23.5 percent, as more women seek positions in public service. Today, the NWPC continues to support candidates running for office at all levels of government, trains future candidates and campaign managers, and supports fundraisers to assist campaign volunteers nationwide.
Congresswoman Chisholm served seven terms in Congress, introduced more than fifty pieces of legislation, and maintained her reputation as a hard-working progressive, who strongly championed equality for women, people of color and the poor.
Her definitive contributions in Congress were numerous, including creating nutrition assistance programs, expanding health care services for parents and children, increasing the minimum wage, supporting veterans, and providing opportunities for women in college, graduate school, and collegiate and professional sports with the enactment of Title IX.
When Shirley Chisholm launched her presidential bid in 1972, she was the very first Black woman to do so, and faced gender and racial discrimination as a candidate. Gender discrimination was the greatest challenge in Chisholm’s opinion. Chisholm often said: between being black and being a woman, the biggest problem was being a woman. For this reason, because of this discrimination, Representative Chisholm was denied extensive media coverage and made only one televised speech.
Even prominent feminists chose to support her opponent in the Democratic primaries. Moreover, Chisholm didn’t receive much support from black politicians, who felt conflicted between voting for a black woman as their first black candidate on the one hand, and increasing black political power by supporting the candidate they thought would win on the other hand. In an effort to diminish the significance of the clean, skillful, and politically sound campaign that she ran, Chisholm’s presidential bid was eventually conveyed as purely symbolic in the history books.
In spite of it all, the “unbought and unbossed” candidate earned 152 delegate votes at the national convention, adding another crack in the glass ceiling, and inspiring the political aspirations of many women and girls across the Nation. Years later, Hillary Rodham Clinton would become the first woman to be a major party nominee for U.S. President, winning the popular vote in the Presidential General Election.
Shirley Chisholm passed away in 2005 at the age of 81. Her remarkable life is an inspiration to women and men to boldly embrace our dreams of leadership in the Public arena. Representative Chisholm rightfully earned high distinction and recognition, and it is time to memorialize the same by a permanent placement of her likeness in United States Capitol. H.R.4856, would result in a permanent statue of Representative Shirley Chisholm in the United States Capitol.
This tribute would honor Shirley Chisholm and her remarkable contributions in the U.S. Capitol, alongside other outstanding Americans who shaped our Nation’s history, such as the late President George Washington and Civil Rights icon Rosa Parks. A Shirley Chisholm statue will forever be a legacy to an extraordinary woman and political powerhouse who helped those who were vulnerable and underrepresented.
I have long considered Shirley Chisholm somewhat of a mentor. She and I share much in common. We are both daughters of Caribbean immigrants, Brooklyn-born, and dedicated to public service. It’s a high honor to walk directly in her footsteps as the second Black woman to represent the State of New York in Congress. Today, I proudly represent a significant portion of her constituency.
Shirley Chisholm’s labor and contributions to Brooklyn, Congress, and the Nation continues to bear fruit today. She has paved the way for many other women- myself included — to run for elected office at all levels. Chisholm proved that we need not hide our femininity to be powerful and successful leaders. In sum, Shirley Chisholm helped change not just the culture of the U.S. Congress, but also the culture of America. She was an undeniable trailblazer.
In our quest to achieve equality for all regardless of gender, race, socio-economic status, and national origin, let us look to our predecessors on whose heels we stand, reach higher, and work harder to accomplish our goals on behalf of the American people.
As a fellow New Yorker, Brooklynite, Caribbean American legislator and Black woman, I am indebted to Representative Shirley Chisholm and will continue to honor her legacy by raising my voice in favor of policies that reflect the vision that she and I both share: justice, fairness, and equity for all.
